Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Baby Nathaniel is part of a small group of special babies. Other then being one of my Favourite Nephews.

Only 3% of babies are born on their Due Date and baby Nathaniel is one of them.

We don't have pictures yet, but I will post them as soon as we get them. We're not the overbearing family that has to be at the hospital, we're patient and can wait a week or two to see the new bundle, after he and Leah have gotten into routine.

In other news: nothing much has happened since yesterday. I taught my classes last night, and loved them. No matter how I'm feeling, as soon as I see those little ones waiting for me, I have a smile across my face.

I'm off to teach body sculpt this morning, then to the bank, then back to teach pilates tonight. Tuesday is by far the longest day of my week.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Between setting the menu for the week and cleaning up the house I decided to sit down and update my blog. It has been far far too long.

I've decided to update my blog a bit more often now. Hopefully on a daily basis, if I can do that.

What’s been going on in the Ernst house: LOTS!!

Brian and I started some renos earlier this year – well Labour Day weekend actually. I came home from work to find half my floor ripped up, and a husband covered in dust. We spend the weekend tearing up the floor and find new flooring. We were planning on replacing the linoleum and carpet with a nice laminate that looks like hard wood; I just hadn’t planned on doing it that weekend. We found a laminate that we loved, and spend the next weeks getting it installed, as well as replacing all the trim around the windows and doors, as well as the baseboard. Brian still has to fill in all the holes from the nails on the trim, and finish that step and we’ll be done. Finally!

I love how the new floor gives new life to the house; it makes the main floor look bigger with the same flooring flowing through the whole house.

I’ve started working at a bank in Guelph almost full time. It’s great to be working again, however working every Saturday is taking its toll on Brian and I’s relationship. Nothing big has happened, don’t worry. Just that we’re not able to spend as much time together anymore and our date nights are spend cleaning and doing laundry rather than going out for coffee and re-connecting. This weekend having Friday off and Sunday off was really nice, we got to spend an extra day together, and I feel so much more connected with Brian. These last months with me working so much are starting to feel like when Brian was in Windsor for so long last year. I feel like I have a ‘weekend husband’ again, and that I’m the ‘weekend wife’. Not that we have ‘weekday’ husbands and wives. Just that it seems the only time we get to be just us is on weekends. I’m hopeful that something else will come along and I’ll be able to have my Saturdays back and get my relationship with Brian back to where I prefer it – super connected.

Family: lots has been happening with family in the last little bit. We’re going to be Uncle Brian and Auntie Jac to a new little one soon. My wonderful SIL is due today actually with baby Nathaniel. I can’t wait to hear about his arrival. My nephew Samuel turned 4 yesterday! I remember meeting him 4 years ago, before Brian and I were even together. It just seems like such a long time ago and a different lifetime. I’m sad that I’m not going to be getting to spend as much time with Mr Sam and Miss Emmy, since Jacob and Heather are moving to Mississauga for Jacob’s work. It’s a great opportunity for Jacob in his career and I’m so excited for where this is going to take him, but sad that I’m not going to be getting my big hugs as often anymore. On the other side my BIL is having some issues and has been hospitalized. Please pray for him as often as you can.

Scrapbooking has been going slowly lately. I’m working on wedding invitations for a high school friend, so a lot of my spare time and creative energy is going into that. I’m also working on birth announcements for a good friend of mine who just welcomed her little girl into the world. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to get back into scrapping again soon. I have been being creative in other ways. My dear friend Dee is pregnant with her second, and I was very excited to hear her news, and one of the few that knew in the early weeks. So in anticipation of babyW’s arrival I’ve been working on a few different baby blankets for him/her. I’ll post pictures as soon as I’m done some of them.

I’m teaching ballet and jazz at the dance studio associated with my church. I love the little ones that I’m teaching. I have 8 kids in my jazz class, 7 amazing girls, and 1 fantastic boy. In my ballet class I have 6 amazing little girls. I’m so blessed to have these kids in my life right now. We’re preparing for the year end show right now, lots of prep work and finding costumes and such, but the kids are being so great. I look forward to Monday evenings when I get to spend 3 hours influencing these young minds and hearts.

Brian and I have started talking about expanding our family. It’s a big step. And there’s always that question in the back of our minds. What if? As most of you know my dad has a genetic lung disease that I carry the gene for. The genetics of the disease are the same as Cystic Fibrosis, the mom and dad each have a gene and if the gene’s match, then the child will have the disease. I have to have one since my dad has 2, my mom doesn’t carry the gene, so I can’t have the disease in the capacity that my dad has, but I am what’s called an effected carrier, since I have had lung issues most of my life. So now the question is, does Brian carry the disease? Almost 60% of the Caucasian race carries the gene, so there’s a big chance that he does. There have also been questions if Brian carries the gene for colon cancer. Brian’s Dr sent through paper work to have genetic testing done. We found out that Brian has an appt this month for his testing to be done. They’re able to test for both at once, which is a huge blessing. I’m not sure when we’ll have the results. I know that for me the results won’t have a big effect on my desire to have children of our own. If our child is affected by my dad’s disease, there are ways that we can educate and keep our child healthy as long as possible. My dad’s the first to admit that the workplaces he worked in and some of the choices he made have progressed the disease a lot faster than if he had lived a different life. To me it means that if our child is affected, if we teach them to live a healthy active lifestyle they could avoid affects of the disease until their 60’s or 70’s. Am I being selfish? I guess it’s something more to think about once we get the results back.

I think that’s all for now. Back to cleaning for me. Have to get it done before I’m off to teach tonight.

Blessings all! And thanks for your prayers for my BIL and Brian and I.